Interlude: Year 1
by IneffablePassion
Summary: Kaiser Ryō was lost in darkness after his sacrifice. He learned to trust when he was used to being trusted. He never expected someone, nonetheless a young important heiress three years his junior, to bring him back to life safe and sound. (Reasons to be Strong insert after Chapter 17)


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!GX except for Fukugawa Nao. All Naturia Synchro Monsters are changed to Ritual Monsters and Tuner Monsters are converted to regular Effect Monsters. Credits go to Takahashi Kazuki and Director Tsuji Hatsuki.

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**Interlude: Year 1**

It was dark and lonely when Ryō took the defeat against Camula, but he had to bear the torment that taunted him in every direction. He learned to respect his opponents but somehow, karma seemed to bite him when he fought with vengeance and anger. He never worried about winning, but with Professor Chronos's loss and Nao held hostage, he was torn. When he felt his conscious slipping away, that moment before he gave in made him realize that he had to have faith in others this time around; faith in Nao that she could watch over his younger brother for him; faith in Judai to lead the group from darkness and adhere to Chronos's last words; faith in Shō to have more confidence in himself.

Suddenly, there was a spark in the darkness like a sole bright star that flickered in the night sky without a moon. Ryō looked up to it as it slowly got bigger and brighter. There was also a petal that floated in front of his eyes, which he outstretched his palm to catch it. It was a red soft petal from a flower. One by one, the petals turned into a light slower that gave a sweet and subtle fragrance to Ryō. It was a gentle shower of flowers that made him close his eyes and feel the enticing textures that brushed against him. There was only one person he could think about but he couldn't put a finger on who it would be.

"Ryō," said a faint voice in the distance. It was a dainty and modest voice that brought his senses a bit more awake.

"Ryō," the voice grew more audible to his ears. His blank eyes slowly started to regain colour and life within as the haze in his mind started to clear up from the darkness he was trapped within. It was only that voice that helped him gather his strength to move towards the light. It became brighter and brighter until it started to blind him. He shielded his eyes with his arm for a moment before the warmth of the light engulfed him into a warm embrace.

Ryō's eyes fluttered open to see a familiar ceiling above him. He recognized that he was in his room in his bed with his deck and disk by his bedside table. It dawned upon the Kaiser that he had been freed and brought back to safety. The only consequence was that his key was lost and therefore having no right to battle against the Seven Stars until they would be defeated. If he had returned to life, then someone must have been victorious against the vampire mistress. But who, he asked.

He heard someone whimper in their sleep beside him. He turned his head to see icy blue hair and an Osiris Red uniform of his younger brother sound asleep. He must have been wanting to see him regain consciousness, knowing that he loved him so. He sat up and leaned against the headboard when he spotted another visitor deeply asleep to his left by his desk.

Nao's small frame was curled up in his chair with her legs tucked in front of her chest. Her head was slightly buried in her arms and her back moved up and down as she breathed quietly. Her deck was placed on the desk with some cards face up. His gaze moved to the object in her hand, which was a gold necklace he spotted on the Shadow Duelist's neck before. How did she manage to fight back against such a fearsome and ruthless opponent like Camula, he did not know.

The Kaiser slowly got off of his bed, careful not to wake up his brother and knelt in front of Nao. He studied her face, which looked as if the weight had been lifted off her shoulders. When he first met her, the burden looked so heavy that she could break down at any moment. But this time, she looked peaceful and at ease as she slept so soundly. He also spotted one dry trail of tears on her left cheek, remembering that he had seen her cry in front of her for the first time. He never meant to see her shed tears, but his heart felt warmth at the sight of her.

He stood up and grabbed a spare fleece blanket at the end of his bed. He draped it around her shoulders and over her bare arms. The corner of his lips curled when he saw her subconsciously snuggle in the fabric. Ryō quietly left his room and out of the Obelisk Blue dorm towards the lighthouse, his favourite refuge. If she were to wake up to an empty bed with the exception of his brother, she would know exactly where to look for him.

Now that Ryō knew that Nao was capable to save him, his sacrifice was most definitely worth every single moment in darkness. He could consider trusting in her in the future.


End file.
